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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26860681">We Were Staying in Paris</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/SnowLightning/pseuds/SnowLightning'>SnowLightning</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst, But really I think its a story about finding your way and where you want to be in life?, F/M, Fluff, Happy Ending, Harry Potter Epilogue Compliant, Love, Miscarriage, Not Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Compliant, Paris by The Chainsmokers, Past Scorpius Malfoy/Rose Weasley, Pregnancy, Running Away, This sounds depressing from the tags, also a little bit of, at the end, really I wrote this because of a song</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 17:55:52</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>5,598</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26860681</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/SnowLightning/pseuds/SnowLightning</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Lily needed to get away, so she did. Rose sent Scorpius after her, so he went.<br/>Now they are staying in Paris, together.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Scorpius Malfoy/Lily Luna Potter</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>14</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>We Were Staying in Paris</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>TW: mention briefly of a miscarriage</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p>
<p></p><div class="center">
  <p>
    
  </p>
  <p>
    <em> <strong>“If we go down, then we go down together.” — Paris, The Chainsmokers</strong> </em>
  </p>
</div><p> </p><p>“Well, it could be worse,” Lily said as she placed her bags on the single queen sized bed in their dingy hotel room.</p><p>“Really? There's no curtains on the windows and I think the walls are thinner than my dad's hair, and he barely has any left,” Scorpius said in dismay.</p><p>“You're welcome to go. I am the one that left, and you are the one that so graciously invited yourself to tag along.” Lily pulled her auburn hair off her neck into a messy bun. “Merlin, I wonder if Muggles know how to keep themselves cool in the summer, it's way too hot in here.”</p><p>Scorpius looked around, he was rather unfamiliar with Muggle anything so he didn’t see what could help the heat situation. He slipped off his jacket and threw it on the nearby chair, the only chair in the entire room. “I thought you knew all about Muggle things. You've been planning this trip for at least five years.” Scorpius often had heard Lily going on about wanting to take a trip after she was done with Hogwarts, he never thought she would actually follow through on it, or her parents would let her go off on her own.</p><p>“I’ve only been informally planning this for about a year for your information, and Rose never told me about Muggle cooling systems.” Lily stuck her tongue out at Scorpius. “Seriously, you don't have to stay. I'm sure you’re being missed by your girlfriend already.” Lily took her jacket off as well, leaving her in a tank top and a pair of jean shorts.</p><p>“What girlfriend?” Scorpius said, now sitting on the one and only (and very uncomfortable) armchair.</p><p>“You know, my perfect beautiful cousin, Rose Minerva Weasley,” Lily said. Lily had nothing against Rose, in fact, they were rather close as cousins go. Rose had helped Lily research all sorts of Muggle things for her trip, although Lily was sure that Rose didn’t think she would actually follow through. Rose and Scorpius had been dating since their sixth year at Hogwarts, much to Uncle Ron’s dismay. Now going on their fourth year together, most people assumed they would get married.</p><p>“Oh, that girlfriend....” Scorpius rolled his eyes, “She dumped me. Last week, you didn’t hear? I thought gossip spread through the Potter-Weasley clan like gnomes in a garden. Or at least I would have thought she would have told you.” Scorpius watched as Lily rummaged through her bag. Lily and Scorpius had never been that close, but lately she was around more often than not staying at Rose’s flat. When Lily had taken off Rose had asked Scorpius to go after her where she thought Lily might be waiting for a Muggle plane flight. Rose thought maybe Scorpius could talk her out of leaving because he wasn’t family. Instead Scorpius left as well.</p><p>“Well, maybe she tried. I was a little preoccupied last week with all the fighting with Mum, Dad and James. Believe it or not Albus smartly kept his nose out of my business.” Lily pulled out a bottle of Firewhisky from her bag and handed it to Scorpius. “I'm sorry by the way.”</p><p>“I think it's been a long time coming. She's off to do great things in the Ministry and I'm still trying to figure out what I want to do. You know Rose was always the one that had her life together, I was just her handsome arm candy.” He twisted the cap off of the bottle. “No glasses?” he asked Lily as she perched herself on the arm of the chair.</p><p>“Didn't pack any,” Lily took the opened bottle from him and took a long sip, steam coming out of her ears. She wasn’t the biggest fan of Firewhisky, but it had been the only full bottle of alcohol she could find in her house, and she relished at the fact she’d found it in James’ room.</p><p>“Can’t we just use magic to get some?” he asked, taking the bottle back as she handed it to him.</p><p>“No! They'll find us if we use magic, you just know that my dad has everyone in the Ministry tracking my wand and magic use. Besides, that was the deal, remember? You could come with me, but no magic.” Lily stood up again. “Give me your wand.” Scorpius reluctantly handed it to her. He hadn’t had his wand out of his sight since he got it when he was 11.</p><p>“Maybe you'll tell me one day why you needed to get away from everyone so badly.” Scorpius said, finally taking a sip of Firewhisky. It burned on the way down, but not as bad as the first time he had imbibed when he was 15, that had been a rough night.</p><p>“Doubt it,” Lily said. “And this is the last time I'll say it: You're welcome to stay, but you have to abide by my rules and you can't try to convince me to go back.” She gave him a quick hug, taking the the bottle back from him, she took a sip, wincing as she swallowed. “I'm going out, you coming?” she grabbed her jacket and walked toward the door. Scorpius blinked as she walked out of the room. Where had all of this confidence come from? The Lily he’d known since she’d been ten had always been quiet, she’d been the follower in a loud family of leaders. Perhaps her last year at Hogwarts, being the oldest of her extended family there, had brought her out of her shell. Scorpius jumped off the bed and followed her out the door.</p><p>“Where are we going?” he asked when he finally caught up to her outside of the hotel. Lily was practically skipping down the street, her hair flying free behind her.</p><p>“Anywhere! We can go anywhere we want, do anything we want! We are free of our stupid famous parents and their stupid ideas and my stupid perfect brothers.” Lily turned to Scorpius smiling and holding out her hand, he took it. There was something about Lily that was enchanting, perhaps her wild and free energy was contagious. They walked hand in hand down the city street.</p><p>They ended up at a Muggle nightclub, drinking their way through the menu. The music was loud and the lights were low. It was easy to lose themselves. It was cathartic and chaotic. Just what Lily wanted.</p><p>Lily pulled Scorpius close to her as she moved along to the music. Scorpius resisted at first, feeling guiltyfor liking the attention Lily was giving him, but the mix of alcohol and the chaotic atmosphere allowed him to get lost in this moment with her. She wasn’t his ex-girlfriend’s younger cousin. She wasn’t the little kid he’s known since she was 10. She was just this beautiful 18 year old pressed up against him. They were drinking and not thinking, and there was something extraordinary about this feeling.</p><p>Lily turned to Scorpius at one point, and she kissed him, hungrily, desperate. He let her.</p>
<hr/><p>Over time, Scorpius and Lily adjusted to their new Muggle lives, but they never spoke of their kiss again. They still often went out together, and were sharing a bed, but they hadn't crossed that line again. There was some unspoken rule between them to just let it be.</p><p>They found themselves a flat, but could only afford a one bedroom on their waitress and bartending incomes, hence the bed sharing. Scorpius insisted he could take the couch, but Lily wouldn’t have it. She said it was ridiculous to sleep in the living room in your own flat. She would gladly share the bed, as long as he didn’t kick.</p><p>They continued living their lives away from the Wizarding world, and they did whatever suited their fancy. There were no rules from their parents. Lily didn’t have to worry about living up to her cousins and siblings and Scorpius didn’t have to make sure he was keeping the name of Malfoy in the good graces of society. They both learned they actually liked living in the Muggle world away from the prying eyes of the Wizarding press, despite Scorpius’ initial reservations to Lily’s optimistic vision.</p><p>Lily dyed her auburn locks blonde, just in case she were to be spotted by someone from their world. Scorpius kept his hair short for the same reason.</p><p>Lily got them cellphones and a laptop, insisting they needed them, to appear normal to their new coworkers and acquaintances. She even made them social media profiles with the help of their mutual co-worker who had just assumed they both escaped from some horrible cult where technology wasn't allowed.</p><p>They both used new last names to stay covert, she used Evans and he used Smith.</p><p>Scorpius thought Lily was happy. She loved making him take pictures of her for her Instagram page. She still partied hard sometimes, often leaving Scorpius behind, and spending nights away from their place. Then, she would be back to normal taking him on adventures to museums and she even dragged him to some place called Disneyland once.</p><p>Sometimes it felt like they were together. People would confuse them for a couple. She laughed them off every time, saying Scorpius was really only just a friend. He was her roommate.</p><p>He wanted to kiss her again. He wanted to tell her that he was falling in love with her. He didn’t.</p><p>Lily pretended to be happy, and sometimes she was. But there was something missing that she couldn’t put into words. She didn’t tell Scorpius this.</p><p>Lily thought about telling him what happened in the weeks leading up to her leaving, but she never did. She couldn’t.</p><p>They both thought of home often.</p><p>They didn't tell each other.</p>
<hr/><p>
  <strong>Two years after leaving</strong>
</p><p>“Lil! I'm home! Do you—“ Scorpius stopped short as he rounded the corner and came in full view of a very naked Lily straddling a man he vaguely recognized from the bar. “Fuck— Lily!”</p><p>Lily scrambled off her friend as Scorpius tried to avert his eyes and not ogle his roommate. She quickly threw on a large t-shirt that barely covered anything, “Hey Scor, what're you doing home so early?” Somehow she didn’t seem bothered that he had just caught her having sex or that he had seen her naked. She tossed her friend’s pants and underwear over to the couch. “Sorry Martin, this is my roommate—“</p><p>“Get out of my flat,” Scorpius said to Martin in such a demanding tone that he was quick to grab his belongings and head toward the door.</p><p>“Call me, Lily!” Martin called out as Scorpius shut the door in his face.</p><p>“Scor, that was really rude.” Lily crossed her arms. This was a side of Scorpius she’d only ever heard about from Rose. The protective and kind of possessive side. She wasn’t sure if she liked his tone and she wasn’t going to put up with it.</p><p>“And it wasn’t rude to be shagging some random guy on OUR couch in OUR flat?” Scorpius was trying not to raise his voice at her. He knew that he had a tendency to be overprotective, kindly (not so kindly) told to him by Rose Weasley.</p><p>Lily protested, “He wasn't some random guy—“</p><p>Scorpius cut her off, his anger boiling over, “Is this what you’re doing when you aren’t home? Shagging anyone who looks at you the right way?”</p><p>“<em>Fuck you,</em> Scorpius! Even if I was, it’s not any of your business! Stop treating me like a child!” She shouted as she walked back toward their shared bedroom. Scorpius almost swore when he saw how little her shirt was really covering, his eyes dangerously close to the top of her thighs. He knew that he shouldn’t be looking, they were just roommates after all. But now he’d seen her in the nude and she wasn’t doing much to cover herself, he was having a hard time keeping his eyes in appropriate places. He was having a very confusing afternoon, he had thought he’d come home early from work and surprise Lily to take her out to dinner for her birthday. Obviously, she had had other birthday plans that decidedly did not involve Scorpius.</p><p>He followed her to the bedroom, this conversation wasn’t over, “My eyes are bleeding, I did not need to see that, ever! I wish I could Obliviate the image out of my mind.”</p><p>This comment hurt Lily more than it should have. Of course he didn’t want to see her naked, she was just his friend, his roommate, his ex-girlfriend’s kid cousin. “Wow, strong feelings you have there,” she said with unexpected venom coating her words. She rummaged in the back of one of her drawers, pulling out Scorpius’ wand she kept for safe-keeping. She threw it on the bed, “There, take it and leave. You can have your wish.”</p><p>Scorpius blinked, “You’re giving me my wand back? You actually want me to do magic?” Never, in the two years they had been here together had Lily ever offered him his wand back. Even after minutes, no hours, of begging she had never obliged. Now here she was just giving it to him like that?</p><p>Lily sat on the bed, facing away from him. “Only if the image of my body is that <em>insulting</em> that you want to go back to your old life.” Lily was crying. She didn’t really want him to leave.</p><p>“It's not your body that is so offensive, Lily,” he said moving closer to her. “Just the image of you straddling what's his name—“</p><p>“Martin,” Lily interjected. She wiped her tears away.</p><p>“Yeah, him... I guess I was just caught off guard. I didn't know you were seeing anyone,” he said awkwardly.</p><p>“I'm not,” Lily replied, inching closer to him.</p><p>“But you brought him here—“ Scorpius’ mind was reeling, was this happening?</p><p>“He’s just a friend,” Lily said.</p><p>“But I’m just a friend and we’re not—“ Scorpius said, stopping himself before he said anything else.</p><p>“We could you know.” Lily said, her lips only moments away from his. She wanted to kiss him again. She could remember the way he kissed her before, their bodies pressed together. Every movement he made with his tongue had been sensational, and his hands... she needed his hands to hold her close again.</p><p>“No, Lily, we can’t,” Scorpius said even though he wanted to. He wanted to kiss her, to hold her, to make her happy. Little did they know they wanted the same things.</p><p>“We can, we can do anything we want.” Lily paused for a moment, waiting for his protest. When he said nothing she took that as a sign and pressed her lips to his. It was different than the last time.</p><p>Last time, they had both been intoxicated from the drinks and the club, it had been a desperate rendezvous, all hands and tongues and no thinking. Now, all they were doing was thinking. Scorpius was thinking about the way her lips felt on his, how she tasted salty, how her lips were soft, and her face was flushed. Lily was thinking how impossible it was that a simple kiss could feel so perfect, so incredible.</p><p>“Okay, we can,” he said when she pulled away. Scorpius put one of his hands around the back of her neck, fingers wrapped in her dyed blonde hair. He pulled her to his lips again, tracing his tongue along her lips, causing her to let out a small moan as she opened her mouth. Kissing her was the closest he’s felt to magic in years, because kissing her was magic.</p>
<hr/><p>They kissed often now, and they actually talked, more than they ever had in the past two years despite living together. They got used to their new lives together, actually being <em>together</em>.</p><p>Now, instead of sleeping next to each other, they were sleeping with each other, in more ways than one.</p><p>Lily admitted that she had had a crush on him when she was a teenager, but had gotten over it when he started seeing Rose.</p><p>Scorpius admitted that he had been thinking about kissing her since the first time that it happened, but he’d been too scared that the first time had been an alcohol induced fluke.</p><p>She admitted that her crush never really went away after all.</p><p>He told her that sleeping next to her for the past two years was practically torture, knowing that they weren’t together.</p><p>She told him that she was afraid that she was just his replacement for Rose and that he didn’t actually want her.</p><p>Lily told him that on the occasion she heard him getting himself off in the shower it turned her on and made her sad because she knew he was thinking about Rose (he wasn’t).</p><p>Scorpius told her that he would be sad and worried every night that she didn’t come home, leaving him wondering who she was with and where she was that was better than being home, with him.</p><p>She told him those were the nights that she couldn’t stand to be around him without kissing him, so she couldn’t go home.</p><p>He kissed her harder the night she told him that. She always came home after work now.</p><p>He got promoted to bar manager. She got a new job as manager at a coffee shop.</p><p>Scorpius thought Lily was happy. Scorpius knew he was, and he told her how happy she made him, often.</p><p>Lily thought she might finally be happy, too.</p><p>They didn’t tell each other, “I love you.”</p><p>She still didn’t tell him why she left home in the first place.</p>
<hr/><p>
  <strong>Four years after leaving</strong>
</p><p>“Scorpius, I have to tell you something,”Lily said to him one night while they were eating dinner. They were at a restaurant, having a proper date, as Scorpius liked to call it.</p><p>“Are you breaking up with me?” Scorpius asked, a smile creeping on his face.</p><p>“No, you know that,” Lily shook at her head at her boyfriend.</p><p>“Did you get that raise you’ve been asking for?” He guessed.</p><p>“No, I haven’t heard about that yet, but—“</p><p>“Did that bloke hit on you again, I told you that I—“</p><p>“Scorpius! Listen to me,” Lily interrupted his interruption.</p><p>“Oh, this must be serious then.” Scorpius put down his fork and turned his full attention to his girlfriend.</p><p>“I’m really sorry and I don’t know how this happened and I will understand if you’re angry and want to leave me but—“</p><p>“Lily, spit it out, you’re making me nervous.”</p><p>“I think that I’m pregnant.” Lily winced as the words escaped her mouth. She was scared for his reaction. She was just scared in general at the whole prospect of being pregnant at the moment.</p><p>Scorpius was glad he stopped eating or he might have choked on his food. He looked at her for a moment,at the way she was nervously waiting for his response. Then he said, “I love you.”</p><p>“What?” Lily was confused, this was not the reaction she was expecting from him. Had he heard her wrong?</p><p>“I said I love you, and it’s not because you said you think you’re pregnant. And now I am regretting not saying it before you told me this. Merlin, Lily, how could you think I would want to leave you or that I would be angry? This is wonderful!” Scorpius leaned over the table to kiss Lily, who now had tears rolling down her cheeks.</p><p>“I love you too,” she said through her tears, and she knew it to be true. Now she had to tell him, there was just no way around it. “There’s something else I have to tell you.”</p>
<hr/><p>Lily finally told him why she had been so desperate, no, why she <em>needed</em> to leave her family and the magical world behind.</p><p>She had been pregnant then too, with her boyfriend Rory McClaggen’s baby. She had found out a month after leaving Hogwarts, andeven though it meant she had to cancel her ‘Muggle vacation’, she had been happy. She thought she was in love with Rory, she thought they would get married and she’d have a family and they’d be happy together. She thought it would be perfect.</p><p>But, Rory hadn’t been as happy, in fact, the night after she told him she had caught him making out with her best friend.</p><p>Her parents hadn’t been happy either. They wanted Lily to have a career, make a name for herself before she settled down. But they were going to support her, they said, because they loved her.</p><p>Then, she lost the baby.</p><p>And, her parents had been <em>happy</em> about it, or that’s how it seemed to Lily.</p><p>Lily had been devastated.Even if Rory wasn’t around anymore, she still loved her baby, and her parents were practically celebrating her loss.</p><p>That was the night she started to really plan her trip. She was leaving, she had to. She couldn’t stay where her pain was being minimized, it was too hard.</p><p>A few weeks later, after many nights spent away from her house with Rose, her parents had confronted her. Told her it was time to move on. That was the night they fought, even James had gotten in on it. He’d even said she should be grateful, because now she could have the life she planned for. She could start her career, maybe become a professor like she wanted when she was little. She should be <em>relieved</em>. And it was time to <em>get over it.</em></p><p>She left the next morning.</p>
<hr/><p>
  <strong>A few months later</strong>
</p><p>Now, Lily knew she was happy. She was actually enjoying her life. There was no question that she was loved and had purpose, Scorpius made sure of that.</p><p>One night when they were enjoying a movie on their couch after dinner, Lily knitting a baby onesie, and Scorpius commenting on every ridiculous thing that the characters said and did, there was a knock on their door. The knock was so light they barely heard it over the movie. Lily paused it, listening. The knock came again. “Who could possibly be here?” Lily asked Scorpius.</p><p>Scorpius shrugged as he stood up off the couch to answer the door.</p><p>It was Rose Weasley.</p><p>“Hi Scor,” Rose said softly. Lily froze on the couch, her knitting falling in to her lap. This couldn't be happening.</p><p>“Rose,” Scorpius replied, some what flabbergasted. Rose was the absolute last person he had expected when he opened the door. He even expected his own parents over his ex-girlfriend. He asked the only question he could think of in the moment, “How did you find us?”</p><p>Lily could feel the tears welling up in her eyes. This was it. This was the end of her happy life as she knew it. Her family was here to ruin everything again. She didn't want to go back. They couldn't make her. She stood up from the couch, luckily out of view of the door, and quietly moved to stand behind Scorpius She was just out of Rose's view, behind the opened door.</p><p>“Well, it took maybe six months or so after you both disappeared. Uncle Harry was still convinced you'd kidnapped Lily, but then I saw her on Instagram. My Muggle friends I met visiting my grandparents made me set it up and really I only check it every so often, but, there Lily was, and I hadn’t really been looking for her.” Rose explained in whirlwind, too detailed, like always. Scorpius was happy to know Rose hadn’t changed. “I showed Aunt Ginny and Uncle Harry, and at first they wanted to figure out where you were and come get Lily. But I showed them how happy Lily was and made them promise to leave her alone.” Lily scoffed silently, apparently she had put up a good front on her social media. In the first year away she had definitely not been happy.</p><p>Rose continued, “I don’t know much about what happened, I mean before Lily left, but I know she had a falling out with her parents and I knew that she just wanted some time away from them. To be herself without being the famous Harry Potter’s baby daughter. There was a picture of you on there too, and I trust you, so I knew she wasn’t in any danger. I just knew you would look out for her, because I know you Scorpius and that’s what you do. Your mum cried when I showed her your picture, but she also promised that she and Mr. Malfoy would leave it alone. We all thought you'd come back after a while.”</p><p>“Well, we haven't. So why are you here now, is someone ill or dead?” Scorpius asked, squeezing Lily's hand behind the door to let her know he was here and would not make her talk to Rose if she wasn’t willing. It was painful to hear about his mother being so distraught when he’d left. He had never even said goodbye. But this was his life now, here with Lily, and he didn’t want to jeopardize that by contacting his parents who would try to convince him to return home. But, he did want to know they were okay.</p><p>“No, everyone is fine. I have tea with your parents once a month. James and Hugo are taking over for Uncle George at one of the joke shops. And—oh! Albus married Alice Longbottom last year. She's expecting a little one in a few weeks.” Rose replied, smiling. Lily almost blew her cover by gasping loudly. She always hoped Albus would work up the nerve to propose to his longtime girlfriend. She was so happy for her brother, she was about to have a niece or nephew. And so was he, unbeknownst to him.</p><p>“Then why are you here?” Scorpius asked again. While it was lovely to hear that his ex-girlfriend was having tea with his parents, he didn’t understand why she had come all this way to see them.</p><p>“Because I saw Lily's post last week and I just couldn't stay away any longer. I miss her, and I knew she would just ignore my messages if I sent any. So, I figured out where you were and I had to come bearing my congratulations.” Scorpius was about to say that he would go ask Lily if she wanted to see her when Lily stepped out from behind the door and into her cousins' arms. They were both crying, glad to be reunited.</p><p>Maybe this would be okay after all.</p>
<hr/><p>Rose didn’t try to convince Lily to come back home, and Lily was grateful for that.</p><p>She made Rose promise to write you when Albus’ baby was born. She told Rose not to tell her parents about her expecting.</p><p>She told Rose they could write her, but only if they sent the letters through Rose. Lily didn’t want her parents to know where she was living.</p><p>Scorpius sent a letter along with Rose when she left for his parents. Promising he would be home one day and he didn’t know how he would make up for his absence. And that he was happy, happier than he had been for a long time.</p><p>Lily deleted her Instagram and Facebook profiles.</p><p>Alice gave birth to a baby boy they named Frank (they would call him Frankie of course, according to Rose), after Alice’s great grandfather. Rose sent pictures along with letters from almost everyone in the family. Rose cried at the photos of her parents with their newly born grandson and read the letters solemnly.</p><p>All of the letters held the same sentiment. They missed her, and hoped she was well. And, please, come home soon. Lily never sent replies. She missed home, she just wasn’t ready yet and Scorpius supported that decision, although he longed to return home.</p><p>Lily and Scorpius were married outside on a warm summer night, Rose as their witness. Lily cried at how pregnant she looked in her dress, but Scorpius just told her she was beautiful.</p><p>The day that Lily went into labor was the day she decided that she was ready. She needed her parents, she needed her family.</p><p>The first spell Scorpius did in five years was to send a message to Rose to tell her to get here right away and bring her Uncle Harry and Aunt Ginny. He also sent along a message to his parents telling them where to go.</p><p>When Harry and Ginny arrived Lily started crying, and apologizing, but it was okay because Harry and Ginny were doing the same. Draco and Astoria Malfoy arrivedand Scorpius fell into their embrace easily. There was hugging, apologizing, and so much crying, but the birth of Lily and Scorpius’s daughter interrupted their teary reunions.</p><p>They named her Stella Aurora Malfoy, they had to keep the tradition of constellation names alive and well after all.</p>
<hr/><p>The transition back home had not been an easy one.</p><p>There were still a lot of hard feelings on everyone’s part, but they were slowly being worked through and forgiven. Her parents now understood their behavior had been insensitive and hurtful, and she now understood that they had only wanted what was best for her.</p><p>Draco and Astoria Malfoy understood that Scorpius had been heartbroken when he left and needed time away. They also understood that although he wanted to return home years ago, he needed to stay with Lily because she had become his whole world.</p><p>They were proud of their son and their daughter-in-law. And everyone loved little Stella.</p><p>James was the last person Lily forgave.</p><p>The night after Stella’s first birthday party James had approached Lily. He apologized, realizing over the years that he should not have been involved in the fight in the first place. He now knew what it was like to have people overstepping their bounds when it came to personal lives.</p><p>Lily finally forgave him whenhe said he might be in love and needed her support to tell their parents. She asked him why he hadn’t brought her to he party to introduce her to everyone. James told her that everyone already knew his boyfriend, Rory McClaggen, just not as his boyfriend. Lily wished the two of them the best, and of course she would support James when he finally told their parents.</p><p>After a few years, Scorpius and Lily opened a coffee shop in Hogsmeade, replacing Madame Puddifoot’s much to everyone’s delight.</p><p>Lily never felt the need to run away to the Muggle world again, but she did make sure Stella grew up watching Disney movies on the old television they managed to find in her grandfather’s old stash of Muggle things.</p><p>Scorpius was happy that Lily seemed to fall right back into the ways of the Wizarding world. He was grateful he could do magic again, he had missed it. Scorpius was no longer heartbroken or trying to find his place in the world. He knew where his place was now, and it was here, right next to Lily.</p>
<hr/><p>
  <strong>Five years after returning</strong>
</p><p>“Mummy! Daddy says I have to go to bed now, but the prince is just about to kiss Sleeping Beauty!” Stella yelled out in her tiny voice as Lily made her way up the stairs to their flat above the coffee shop. She had just finished closing up for the night.</p><p>“If Daddy says its bed time, then it must be bed time. Besides, how many times have you seen this?” Lily smiled as she made her way over to her two favorite people in the world.</p><p>Stella pouted and crossed her arms. “Fine, but I don’t want anyone to tuck me in. I’m mad at you.” She stomped away, as angry as any five year old can be, and went into her room.</p><p>“You couldn’t let her watch the end?” Lily asked Scorpius and gave him a kiss.</p><p>“I told her not to start the movie over an hour ago. I wanted her to be asleep when you got home, so I could do this,” he kissed her again, pulling her closer, which was quite difficult considering she had a rather large baby bump between them.</p><p>“Well, she will just have to wait until tomorrow to see the prince kiss the princess then,” Lily replied between kisses.</p><p>Scorpius pulled Lily into a hug, “I love you, Lily.” He said, and placed a kiss into her hair (now its natural auburn color, though sometimes Scorpius missed the blonde).</p><p>“I love you too,” Lily replied, wrapping her arms around her husband.</p><p>“Do you wish, sometimes, we were back in Paris where the only people we had to think about were ourselves?” Scorpius asked.</p><p>Lily looked up at him, “Do you?”</p><p>Scorpius thought about it for a moment, because although sometimes he reminisced on their time away, he loved his life now and he couldn’t imagine being anywhere else. “No, because in my mind we will always be there because we are here together, and that’s the only reason Paris was so good. Because we were there together.”</p><p>“But we’re better now,” Lily replied. She had been a mess in Paris, and now she wasn’t. “I’m better, and I have you to thank for it.”</p>
<hr/><p>Years later Stella would ask her mom how she fell in love with her dad. Lily would smile and reply, “We were staying in Paris...”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hi thanks for reading and leaving your thoughts and/or kudos. It’s always appreciated! :)</p></blockquote></div></div>
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